Canada’s municipal leaders are focused on delivering the local solutions, investments and innovations needed to directly improve the quality of life of their residents. FCM's Annual Conference and Trade Show will feature a broad selection of thoughtfully curated workshops, providing you with the tools and insights you need to deliver results in your community and support a better country for all.
Thursday, May 25
Your equity journey: Getting started to keeping the momentum
Presented by Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF)
Municipal leaders know that cities and communities are at the forefront of the mission to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive Canada. Yet local leaders often find themselves unsure where to start, anxiously considering next steps, or struggling to understand how equity work translates to meaningful change in their communities.
Presented by the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF), in partnership with the Canadian Commission for UNESCO (CCUNESCO), this workshop will include a panel discussion exploring these themes. In this participatory workshop, hear from Canada's leading municipal AREI practitioners and Reconciliation leaders as they reflect on the journeys their communities have taken to tackle the challenge of becoming more diverse and equitable, and how they have confronted racism and the invisible intersections of public policy and demographics in the process. Participants will have an opportunity to reflect on how to apply these insights to their own municipal context.
Help FCM's GMF build a national climate resilience program
Local governments are key players in responding to the challenges posed by climate change. This session will explore how FCM's Green Municipal Fund (GMF) is developing two funding programs to help communities rapidly realize a more resilient and sustainable future.
We want to hear how you, as municipal leaders, have incorporated climate change adaptation strategies into your communities, and what your focus areas are. Expect an example-led, interactive discussion where participants can exchange climate adaption-related experiences as we identify the critical support needed to advance your resilience priorities.
Friday, May 26
Intercommunity Transit: Closing The Rural and Regional Gap
The reduction and closure of intercommunity transit options has left a devastating gap between municipalities across Canada. At a moment when our country should be planning for growth, options to facilitate the movement of people for work, for family, or new opportunities are feeling further away than ever. In this discussion, we will examine this troubling dynamic from the perspective of rural communities, mid-size municipalities and more, and look ahead to solutions that can close these gaps and deliver local results that support a better connected nation.
Becoming asset managers: Building team and self resiliency
Presented by Mental Health Commission of Canada
Resilience means something different to team leaders than it used to. In 2023, we are more conscious than ever about supporting our staff, their productivity, and their long-term growth so that we can achieve results. In order to do that, we also need to build resilience in ourselves as municipal leaders – an ever-increasing challenge in difficult times. This discussion will cover strategies for building resilience in municipal teams and highlight best practices from your peers across Canada, as we ensure municipal government retains an attractive working culture for current and future staff.
How to build great public spaces and facilities
Presented by CSA Group
With so many cities and communities set for substantial growth in the coming years, crafting a vision for keeping Canadians connected is essential. Municipal common spaces such as libraries, community and recreation centres, parks and more are required to provide access to much-needed services, but also to foster a sense of shared community experience. In this session you will hear from leading voices on what it takes to create impactful, attractive, and sustainable public spaces that will foster a stronger local sense of community across the nation - as well as the role that codes and standards can play to help municipalities build resilient and low carbon facilities.
Fight the municipal brain drain: attracting and retaining talent
Presented by SAP Canada Inc.
The challenges facing municipal administrations are becoming more complex, and the strain of retaining the best talent threatens to make those challenges even harder. As municipalities seek to keep Canada’s communities on the cutting edge, the need for a clear strategy to bring in eager and highly-capable leadership is absolutely critical. Our discussion will focus on the role of municipal administration, particularly CAOs, CFOs, or their community equivalent, and how your municipal personnel leaders can make your community an attractive employer for dynamic talent.
ASK THE EXPERTS WORKSHOPS
Driving municipal sustainability priorities through CIB financing
Presented by Canada Infrastructure Bank
Infrastructure investment plays a critical role in our transition to a net-zero economy. The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) is partnering with municipalities across the country, financing key infrastructure projects such as advancing green infrastructure through upgrading buildings to transitioning towards electric bus fleets. In this interactive session, you will have the chance to connect directly with the CIB’s investment team to learn more about innovative ways to finance infrastructure projects in your municipality–putting you one step closer to net zero goals.
Future-proofing Canada’s agricultural sector
Presented by the Egg Farmers of Canada, Chicken Farmers of Canada, Turkey Farmers of Canada, Canadian Hatching Egg Producers and Dairy Farmers of Canada
Learn how farmers are meeting growing demand for quality food products of local production. This session will discuss sustainable farming practices and partnerships that strengthen Canada’s food system.
Local farming for national stability
Canada’s dairy, poultry and egg farmers are prioritizing sustainable practices to support a strong national food system. Join this ‘Ask the Experts’ sessions to find out what this approach means for your municipality.
Saturday, May 27
Finding home: Canada's next generation of housing
Presented by Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)
Canada’s National Housing Strategy, a 10-year plan to deliver more affordable housing to Canadians across the country, has continued to expand and evolve since it was first launched by the federal government in 2017. While the plan has generated some important progress, Canada’s housing landscape today features complex challenges including affordability, anti-racism, equity and inclusion, Reconciliation, infrastructure readiness and more. Municipalities represent the order of government closest to these issues and need to be at the heart of the discussion about what comes next. In this discussion, you will hear from housing experts and federal and municipal leaders as they share lessons learned and their perspectives on the next generation of housing in Canada: What we keep, what we leave behind, and how municipal leadership is critical to ensuring more people have a safe and affordable place to call home.
Everything everywhere all at once: "multi-solving" climate solutions
Presented by Intact Public Entities
Everywhere you look, Canadians are confronting the challenges and opportunities of modern life: promoting equality and diversity, grappling with the increasing cost of living, trying to build safe places for people to call home and more. Recently, a new practice in the sustainability field called “multi-solving” has emerged - helping practitioners to find ways to inform and create linkages between the critical climate action Canada needs to reduce emissions and build resilience, while driving progress on our modern challenges. In this session, you will have an opportunity to hear about the latest in multi-solving approaches and have your own questions and experiences addressed, so you can find the right local balance across a variety of pressing challenges.
Think globally, act locally: municipalities and global challenges
In this session, we will highlight the important role that municipalities play in responding to global issues such as climate change, immigration, and conflict. Through the firsthand experiences of Canadian mayors and community leaders, we will explore how local leaders have taken the initiative to respond to global challenges and provided leadership on a regional, national, and international stage. Join us as we shine the spotlight on municipalities who are making vital contributions to addressing global issues.
From National Adaptation Strategy to local climate resilience
Presented by Co-operators
The impacts of climate change continue to threaten our communities, but the capacity to reduce disaster risk and increase resiliency is growing. The federal government's ambitious new proposed targets for climate adaptation are timely, as is the initial $1.2B in funding for this. But this represents only a down payment compared to local governments’ adaptation investment needs. In this workshop, participants will make sense of the federal government’s new National Adaptation Strategy framework and Action Plan through a local lens. Hear from climate adaptation experts about the urgency, new funding, and innovation support being made available for those municipalities that are ready to better understand and tackle climate risks.
Taking action against online harassment: ideas, innovations, allyship
Presented by Rogers Communications together with Shaw
The reality of harassment against elected officials has become a serious barrier to recruiting new and diverse voices to join council tables across Canada. It’s not enough to simply oppose or disconnect from digital spaces – we must work together to actively shape a more positive and welcoming landscape for municipal politics and to engage new participants in our local democratic institutions. Join FCM and its partners in the Canadian Women in Local Government program who will share the emerging ideas, innovations in technology, and new allyships that are creating positive and real change in tackling online harassment in Canada.
ASK THE EXPERTS WORKSHOPS
How P3s put private profit ahead of public interest
Presented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees
This session will examine the impacts of public-private partnerships on municipalities, highlight the risks that privatization can pose, and explore the potential of public sector collaborations in building strong communities and creating good jobs.
The ripple effect of food production
Presented by the Egg Farmers of Canada, Chicken Farmers of Canada, Turkey Farmers of Canada, Canadian Hatching Egg Producers and Dairy Farmers of Canada
Learn how rural and urban centres contribute to a thriving Canadian food system, a strong economy and ongoing innovation. This session will focus on how municipalities can strengthen our domestic food sovereignty.
Local farming for national stability
Canada’s dairy, poultry and egg farmers are prioritizing sustainable practices to support a strong national food system. Join this ‘Ask the Experts’ sessions to find out what this approach means for your municipality.